Category: Kaiser Health News

The Hidden Deaths Of The COVID Pandemic

Counting deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic is easier said than done. Without widespread testing, officials must sort through presumed COVID deaths and those who died with infections rather than from them. Then there are the indirect deaths of people who died from circumstances created by the pandemic.

California Lawmakers Block Health Care Cuts

State legislators and Gov. Gavin Newsom have hammered out an agreement on a budget that rejects Newsom’s proposed cuts to health care services for older and low-income people.

Pandemic Forced Insurers To Pay For In-Home Treatments. Will They Disappear?

With stay-at-home orders in place, hospitals experimented with delivering many treatments to patients where they lived. They were a success. As society reopens, the return of old payment practices may prevent the adoption of this new, efficient model of care.

Listen: Navigating The Pandemic And Protests As The U.S. Reopens

KHN Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony spoke with “The 21st” host Brian Mackey about the implications of reopening the U.S. and recent protests.

As Problems Grow With Abbott’s Fast COVID Test, FDA Standards Are Under Fire

After the FDA issues a public warning about the test, one of its senior officials says point-of-care coronavirus tests can miss 20% of cases and still be considered useful. Public health experts are split.

Easy To Say ‘Get Tested.’ Harder To Do. Here’s How.

If you’ve been in a crowd — a protest or rally — experts have advice for figuring out whether you might have been exposed to the coronavirus, and where and when to get tested for it.

How Those With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Cope With Added Angst Of COVID

During the coronavirus pandemic, people with obsessive-compulsive disorder and other serious anxieties may struggle to distinguish concerns brought on by their conditions from the fears shared by the general public. But some patients say successful treatment has armed them to handle COVID-19’s uncertainties.

Injured And Uninsured, Protesters Get Medical Aid From LA Doctor

A Los Angeles ophthalmologist’s offer on Instagram has ballooned into a loose network of physicians providing medical care to protesters who were injured while rallying against police brutality and racism. While clashes with the police have died down in some parts of the country, some protesters are seeking care for festering wounds from days-old injuries.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: SCOTUS, Trump Collide Over Transgender Rights

The Trump administration rolled back protections for transgender patients just days before the Supreme Court cemented LGBTQ rights under the Civil Rights Act. So, what now? Meanwhile, coronavirus politics reaches beyond health care settings. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Tami Luhby of CNN and Shefali Luthra of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week they think you should read, too.

‘Just Make It Home’: The Unwritten Rules Blacks Learn To Navigate Racism in America

Darnell Hill, a mental health caseworker, is teaching black teens in St. Louis how to safely walk through the park, run to the store or handle an encounter with the police. Beyond tangible skills, he offers comfort and a semblance of control to those for whom birding, running or walking down the street hold the risk of racial violence.